Link River Dam, Gravity dam in Klamath Falls, Oregon, United States.
Link River Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Link River in Klamath Falls, Oregon, 22 feet (7 m) high and 435 feet (133 m) long. It holds back Klamath Lake, a reservoir with a capacity of 873,000 acre-feet. Two channels, the Ankeny Canal and the Keno Canal, carry water to PacifiCorp's turbines downstream, and all flow continues down the Link River into Lake Ewauna.
The California Oregon Power Company built this structure in 1921 under agreements with the Bureau of Reclamation. The project emerged from efforts to control water flow from Klamath Lake for the surrounding region.
The two canals flanking the dam carry names from early settlers: the Ankeny Canal grew from a ditch dug by the Linkville Water Ditch Company in 1878 and extended 15 miles by William Steele in 1884, while the Keno Canal began as Charles and Rufus Moore's 1877 sawmill channel. Both names remain in use for the dam's outflow channels.
The dam sits on the Link River in Klamath Falls, about 1.9 km from the city centre, at an elevation of 1,260 m. The structure is 22 feet (7 m) high and 435 feet (133 m) long, with outflows through the Ankeny and Keno canals. The surrounding land is mostly flat to the south and west, with hills rising to the north.
Two turbines at this location generate electricity while simultaneously managing water flow. The installation demonstrates how a single structure serves multiple purposes, producing power for communities and storing water for farms.
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